RomanPunks is a retrofuturistic, cyberpunk derivative world-building project inspired by fine art, history and the cryptopunk movement.
A total of 1,000 RomanPunk characters have been frozen in time and minted as Non Fungible Tokens (NFTs) on the Ethereum, WAX, Polygon and Algorand blockchains.
RomanPunk characters are comprised of commoners and famous individuals based on Roman history, art history and pop culture.
The basis for RomanPunk lore and backstories is exhaustively researched by history/sci-fi buff and co-founder, Punktavian.
All images are drawn by hand by woman artist and co-founder, Cleopunktra, without the aid of AI or generative tools.
RomanPunks came into existence through early minting on OpenSea, promoting on Twitter and building a Discord community through giveaways and engagement. The idea of a cyberpunk-derivative ‘RomanPunk’ theme was in our heads for years, but it was the success of the Cryptopunks that became the catalyst for project conception and launch.
After a hard working first 60 days spent networking and attracting new collectors to RomanPunks, our community had begun to flourish and sales increased. We began to offer our collectors an opportunity to battle their NFTs in a tournament bracket powered by dice rolls.
Encouraged by the tight knit community and the carbon-neutral blockchain with lightning fast and low cost transactions, we launched 'romanpunksio' collection on WAX Blockchain as the first step to expand the backstories of our RomanPunk characters and the baseline for future development of a card game.
RomanPunks integrated with Chainlink Labs to utilize VRF (Verified Randomness Function) to host a giveaway raffle for our holders. We developed a smart contract on Ethereum which guarantees true random number selection on chain and can be used for a wide range of functions that require random selection.
After much anticipation in the community, we released our first WAX NFT card 'pack' through the Neftyblocks platform, which sold out in less than a week.
We launched our Twitch channel and begun building an audience by offering numerous giveaways of WAX NFTs from our collection, as well as giving participants a chance to win RomanPunk ETH NFT airdrops for taking top spot at the end of the 'season'.
As firm believers in a metaverse future and land owners in The Sandbox, we undertook to build the RomanPunk Colosseum on 1x1 land and entered our experience "Gladiator Bloodsport" into a GameJam contest. We will continue to build the Colosseum into a PVP arena and social hub once The Sandbox offers creators the ability to do so.
Thanks to the user friendly tools offered by NeftyBlocks, we launched a comprehensive blending system on WAX, allowing our collectors to blend the common NFTs they earn in our Discord RPG up into Legendary famous NFTs through the use of blending 'coins' that can also be earned on the Discord as reward for helping to promote the RomanPunks project.
We launched the VX collection on Polygon. Each owner of an ETH NFT gets their voxel equivalent airdropped to them, and these NFTs can be redeemed for official NFTs on The Sandbox Marketplace once available.
All 1,000 original, unique 1:1 RomanPunk characters hand drawn by Cleopunktra and minted on OpenSea.
The RomanPunk WAX NFT Trading Card Fighter Pack Series II consists of 3 NFTs randomly selected from over 236 characters.
Upcoming plans for RomanPunks include:
Below is a comprehensive and searchable directory of all 1,000 RomanPunk Characters.
Born 139 AD in Tarsus, Balacrus is as staunch defender of Roman interests in his native Cilicia. Upon learning of a planetary alien and cyborg invasion, Balacrus enlisted in Marcus Aurelius’ interdimensional task force to protect his native Earth from the extraterrestrial scourge.
Born 266 AD in Trento, Uto was part of the mysterious Cthulu Cohort that, disappeared in a cave and returned as cybernetic drones puppeteered by an extradimensional alien force loyal to Emperor Diocletian.
Born 2145 AD in Luxor-Thebes, Ram is a degenerate carnie who operates the “Daedalus Drop” carnival ride at the midway in the Neo-Carthage souk. This tower—a thrilling descent emulating the mythic fall of Icarus—has become a premier attraction under his management. Unbeknownst to Ram, a conspiracy is unfolding to sabotage his ride; nefarious actors intend to orchestrate a fatal malfunction to assassinate a prominent individual, placing him unwittingly at the heart of a dangerous plot.
Born 297 BC in Teotihuacan, Xoco, priestess at the Pyramid of the Sun, mistakenly opened and fell into an interdimensional portal while conducting a human sacrifice where she became enslaved as a gladiator in a 2nd century AD Mexico that is part of the Roman Empire.
Born in 123 BC in Tarsus, Rox was a Cilician pirate who had captured and sold Julius Caesar for ransom. As revenge, Caesar returned to condemn Rox to an eternal life of fighting in the most brutal gladiator pits through time and space.
Born 2010 AD in Alalia, Kael is the silver-spoon heir of a techno-aristocratic family with deep Roman and Punic roots. Restless within his luxurious cybernetic world, he sought adventure beyond his privileged life. During a voyage across the Tyrrhenian Sea with his love, Sienna Elara, a sudden whirlpool transported them to an alternate Roman realm dominated by sentient apes. Stripped of status, Kael must navigate a society where humans are subjugated, forging uneasy alliances with sympathetic apes and confronting the authoritarian simian rulers. His wit and resilience are tested as he strives to survive, challenge the oppressive ape hierarchy, and find a way back home.
Born in 404 AD in Corduba, Alaviv Goar, illegitimate son of King Genseric, fought bravely with the Vandal hordes as they sacked Africa, but was later forced to live a life of exile as a gladiator in the colosseum of Thysdrus in Carthage.
Born 733 BC in Neapolis, Bardash was captured and enslaved by King Midas after an unsuccessful raid into his Kingdom of Phrygia. Known for his knowledge of and resistance to poisons, Bardash became an alchemist and food taster for the king.
Born in 2162 AD in Petra, Zalika hails from an ancient Nabataean lineage renowned for its mastery of trade, finance, and subterfuge. As a plenipotentiary representative of the Crimson Oasis Bank, she holds immense influence within the Red Sands Syndicate, a financial empire that discreetly controls the flow of wealth and power across continents. In a world dominated by RomAngloGallic rulers with ancient minds reanimated in synthetic bodies, Zalika’s current mission is to finance the clone of Hannibal Barca in his revolutionary campaign against Neo-Carthage’s corrupt governor and the cyborg Emperor Caligula.
Born 103 BC in Dyrrhachium, Jerome was a slave who joined forces with Spartacus during the Third Servile War, but fled through an interdimensional portal to the late 20th century AD to avoid their inevitable capture and crucifixion.
Born 2175 AD in Alexandria, Aker is a clerical assistant at the Library of Alexandria Innovation Hub where researchers have developed the “Giza Glasses”, a groundbreaking AR technology that enables wearers to temporarily inhabit bodies across dimensions. Night after night, Aker sneaks into the library’s vault to use the glasses, immersing himself in the lives of ancient pharaohs to experience firsthand the splendor and challenges of divine rule.
Born in 2145 AD on the red planet Mars, Rathien is a hot-tempered, relentless enforcer for cloned Hannibal Barca’s rebellion in Neo-Carthage. Freed from hard space labour, he hides from facial recognition drones while executing sabotage and assassinations against the corrupt governor Mordax Mazar and his cronies. Known for his mercenary tactics and short temper, Rathien’s methods frequently cause problems, but his loyalty and determination make him an indispensable, albeit troublesome, asset to the cause.
Born 288 AD, Scout was born to parents exiled to Britannia after their defeat by Probus in 278 AD. Having won multiple archery contests, she was captured by time traffickers from a Romanesque 20th century AD alternate dimension to compete as a shopping mall gladiator.
Born 397 AD in Pompaelo and raised by bullfighters, Becky was kidnapped and pressed into service by Vandal invaders. While investigating the Temple of Alcántara, she was transported to an alternate dimension in a mid-21st century AD postapocalyptic wasteland.
Born 390 AD in Jutland, Cyra is an interdimensional traveler attempting to change history by turning the tide of battle in the Cimbrian War by seeking out her ancestor, Brenna, and sharing knowledge and technology from the future to defeat Marius.
